I’m definitely in Italian beauty, Monica Belluci's school of thought when she said: “lipstick is the most valuable weapon in a woman's make-up kit. It has the power to transform the appearance and mood of the person wearing it, and, at the same time, arouses the admiration of everybody else.” Lipstick is beyond a doubt my secret weapon. I feel powerful, sexy and feminine when a don a red lip. It does change my mood and I feel ready for anything when wearing it!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you would have noticed that I rarely leave home without a red lip. Sometimes I experiment with bright pinks and nudes, but more often than not my go to is a bright red lip. So much so, I’d say it’s become part of my signature style, which is why I was excited to try Georgio Armani Beauty's new Ecstasy Shine Lipsticks. They are perfect for summer as they're lighter than a matte lip, highly moisterising (great for days spent in the sun) and offer brilliant, bright coverage, which you can bolden with more application. So wear one layer during the day and apply a few layers at night! I'm wearing number 300 in the photos, which is a slightly more orangey red - better for summer. But with 18 shades in the range, you'll easily find the perfect hue to suit your complexion.

My reds vary depending on the time of year and day versus night, but I have a few rules that I follow, which I thought I'd share with you to help with your lipstick choices!

1. Chose between a bold red lip or a smokey eye. I would only double up if I’m going to a fancy evening event and know I’m going to have my photo taken and feel the need for extra warrior paint. Otherwise it looks overdone and like you're trying to hard. And as an adopted Parisienne I'm all about looking effortless.

2. Wear a coral red in the summer when your skin has more colour. Tangerine reds will beautifully complement and enhance tanned skin.

3. Wear darker reds in winter. But be careful how dark you go if you have thinner lips, as a darker shade will make your lips look smaller. I go as far as a berry or Bordeaux red, but as I don’t have big full lips, I wouldn’t wear a purple for example.

4. Find a bold red that suits you any season of the year and make that your signature shade!

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